Living on Less

Ohh if only we could have it all? Well with many employees trying to find a balance between work and personal lives, we can’t expect the big bucks without long working hours. Compromising on lifestyles is at the heart of learning to live on less and being content with what you have. Content isn’t to say stop striving for a higher pay cheque, it’s a way of living within your means.

There are fixed costs in life we can’t avoid – housing, food, even transportation (depending where you live), and clothing. Changing up jobs and not working for a few months meant I had to learn to live solely on savings and cover these costs. Anticipating my departure between jobs (I left to change industries & travel) I calculated my living costs for six months and saved as much as I could while working. When I was confident I’d be okay financially and timing was right, then I left. Terrifying at first you learn to compromise on lifestyle. I should note that this was solely possible because I have cheaper rent at living at home!

Eating out at restaurants was feasible if I didn’t choose expensive places, coffees from cafes were cut out and I spent more time cooking in the kitchen. Shopping and running unnecessary “errands” just to fill time spending money were also given the boot. Heck at first I thought I’d have to also cut out my social life, but this is important to keep for your mental health. Laughing with friends is one of the best forms of therapy!

No matter how much money you make, if it’s enough to cover your basic costs than be thankful. We can become so caught up in materialist items we zone out how fortune we are compared to other places in this world.